Full Text: Address by Mahama at launch of National Education Consultative Forum in Ho

Let me express my sincerest apologies on behalf of the planning committee of the forum to our stakeholders of the faith-based organizations for the unpardonable omission committed in your delayed invitation to this forum.

I’m aware that the omission was very speedily remedied, but you still deserve an unqualified apology for this oversight. And since you are the purveyors of God’s mercy on earth, I’m sure that you are forgiving us.

Thank you very much and we know you are important stakeholders because you own some of the schools, and so this educational forum is important to see how we carry everybody together.

So today we begin an important journey of consensus building on an important sector, and that is education.

For many years, we’ve watched the standards of our education suffer significant decline, and we have individually and collectively expressed our various views on how we believe the problems bedeviling the education sector can be addressed.

What we have, however, lacked has been a unified platform on which the various shades of opinion and perspectives can be put into a melting pot and distilled to yield the most optimal outcomes for our children.

In the years preceding my coming into office, I had indicated my desire to convene a national dialogue on the best approach to giving Ghanaian children a shot at a better life through quality and relevant education.

I committed to ensuring that all who are concerned about education in Ghana have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to shaping the policies and programs that will deliver the kind of education we all want.

I’m gratified that this has become a reality, and I stand before you today to officially open the National Education Consultative Forum with great pleasure and a deep sense of purpose.

This moment marks a significant step in fulfilling one of the commitments of our 120-day social contract with the good people of Ghana, a commitment to build consensus on the urgent and necessary reforms needed to reset our education sector.

Education is not just a tool for personal development. It is the bedrock upon which the progress and prosperity of any nation rests. It defines the present and determines the future of our country.

Education must remain a tool for empowerment, equality, and transformation in Ghana. It is also an important instrument for social mobility. It must inspire hope and deliver opportunity for all, whether you’re born in Accra or the most remotest part of our nation.

We recognize that the education system we inherited has not kept pace with the needs of 21st century society and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

As the world evolves, so must our education system, because what worked in the past no longer suffices for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.

It is this realization that has brought us together here today, united in our belief that education reform is just not an option but a necessity.

Ladies and gentlemen, the National Consultative Forum on Education is a platform to bring all stakeholders to the table.

Governments, policymakers, teachers, students, parents, traditional leaders, religious leaders, political party representatives, development partners, and all members of civil society.

We are here because we recognize that the task of reimagining Ghana’s education system is not one that any single entity can do alone.

Education reform is a shared responsibility. It is a collective journey that requires all voices, all perspectives, and all hands on deck.

This consultative process, I believe, will bring out the best solutions born out of dialogue, partnership, and mutual understanding to deal with our current and future challenges.

Our goal today is to engage in an honest and productive discussion about the current state of education in Ghana, to diagnose the challenges, and craft a bold and actionable roadmap for reform.

The current challenges facing our educational system require strategic priorities, fresh solutions derived from objective and nonpartisan interrogation of issues, and a renewed sense of urgency.

The moment to act together is here and now, and we must use this forum to answer critical questions such as,How do we ensure that every child in Ghana receives quality education regardless of where they are born or live? How do we equip our schools and teachers with the necessary tools and resources to succeed in providing a quality education? How do we close the gaps in foundational learning and prepare our students for further studies, the world of work, and the opportunities of the future?

How do we ensure innovative pedagogies, inclusive, engaging, and adaptive pedagogies framed around social-emotional learning and universal design for learning, which are central to our teachers’ classroom practice?

How do we develop an assessment system that promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and not just regurgitation of what was learned? How do we bring back autonomy to school leaders against mutually agreed performance standards? How do we remove excessive political interference in the governance of our education system?

How do we ensure adequate and sustainable financing for education? How do we ensure adequate and sustainable financing for education? How do we achieve innovative infrastructure provision at optimal cost?

How do we provide our students with the technical and vocational skills to be able to enter the world of work? Where do we place moral education, patriotism, and proper family values in our educational curriculum?

How do we increase the role of faith-based organizations in the management of their schools? These and many more questions are the ones that we expect you to focus on and provide us answers in the roadmap.

Ladies and gentlemen, at the center of the issues associated with the aforementioned questions is the big question of how to ensure provision of a balanced education for Ghana’s children and our young people, an education that transforms them into globally competitive citizens.

An education system that prepares them adequately and nurtures them as Ghanaians with uncompromising values and character qualities of honesty, creativity, and responsible citizenship, and with the 21st century skills of problem-solving and critical thinking.

An education system that ensures that our leaders by age 10 are well-grounded and proficient in language literacy, mathematics literacy, scientific literacy, and cultural literacy as the foundation for their future learning.

As we all as stakeholders ponder over educational issues across basic, secondary, and tertiary education, we must remember that quality education does not only focus on developing the intellect of pupils, but ensures holistic personality development of the child.

It develops his heart, his mind, and his hand for the benefit of himself and for the larger society. The mind promotes critical thinking and creativity necessary for productive decision-making.

The heart promotes moral, emotional, and social orientation necessary for strengthening of our societal and family values, social cohesion, and mutual respect.

While the hand develops in learner skills and practical competencies necessary for building and strengthening our service and productive sectors of our economy. It is for this reason that I agree with Ellen G. White, the American author, when she says that, and I quote, Our education takes too narrow and too low a range.

There is a need for a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than just the pursuit of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is.

It has to do with the whole being and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It means, it refers to lifelong learning. It is the harmonious development of the physical and mental.

It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world. Unquote. Education must prepare our students for service.

That is the task we have. And by finding answers to the questions above and others, that will inform the discourses of this forum. It must be our collective responsibility to make recommendations that are far-reaching, that are transformative, and necessary for developing the global Ghanaian.

There is a call to action for every stakeholder here today and every Ghanaian across the country and in the diaspora.

Their future depends on the decision we make and the actions we take today. And I’m happy that some of our members, our citizens from the diaspora, like Professor Champon, have come all the way to come and join us at this forum.

And also Professor Benega, all the way from Australia. You are all welcome. As a government, we are fully committed to this process.

And the outcomes of this conference assure you that your recommendations are not going to gather dust on a shelf. They will not become symbolic recommendations, but they will form the foundation of a comprehensive reform agenda to build an inclusive, equitable, and transformative education system for Ghana and for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

And so we will prioritize the actionable reforms proposed here with clear timelines and measurable outcomes to guide our steps.

Regular updates on progress will be shared with the public to build trust and transparency. We will increase the allocation of resources to critical areas, including foundational learning, with a focus on the four literacies that I talked about – language, mathematics, science, and culture.

Teacher education and capacity development would also receive attention.

Infrastructure development and education technology also included. Deepened partnership with parents, traditional authorities, and local communities. And I’m happy that the Honorable Education Minister has already announced that PTAs can engage with schools.

The children at the schools are properly managed. And so PTAs can start to do their work by engaging with the schools so that we deepen management of the schools. So deepen partnerships with parents, traditional authorities, and local communities to support every child’s learning journey through the practice of learning teams.

To ensure that school leaders have the autonomy to perform their duties against a national school leader standard, that we shall work with stakeholders, including the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools and other teachers’ unions, to develop.

To prioritize research and research evidence for decision-making. We will also continue with the teacher transformation work we started in 2014 under the T-TEL project and ensure that the same transformation is carried out across all sectors of education system, including TVET.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we embark on this important dialogue, let us not lose sight of the bigger picture. The task before us is not just about fixing what is broken, but about building an education system that is fit for purpose in our today’s dynamic world.

Let us envision an education system where every child, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Let us envision an education system where teachers are celebrated, supported, and empowered to inspire the next generation.

Let us envision an education system where schools are the centers of innovation and learning and that prepares students not just for exams, but for lifelong learning.

This is a vision that must drive our discussions and decisions today and tomorrow over the course of this forum.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as I declare this National Consultative Forum on Education officially open, I urge each of you to approach this task with objectivity, courage, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to the future of our nation.

Let us be bold in our ideas, collaborative in our approach, and relentless in our pursuit of excellence.

Together we can build an education system that resonates with the aspirations of ordinary Ghanaians and prepares our nation for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

The future of this country is in our hands.

Let us seize this moment and work together to create a legacy of hope, opportunity, and transformation for future generations.

One resolution at a time, one transformation at a time, Ghana will win in developing this country’s young people for service.

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